When facing the need for a defense attorney, it’s important to know your rights up front. Alarmingly, investigators are not bound to tell you the truth during questioning. In fact, a Supreme Court case in 1969, Frazier v. Cupp, upheld their right to do so. Critics, however, feel his is an overreach and pressures innocent people to confess even when they didn’t commit the crime, hoping for leniency. There’s been so many cases of investigators using false claims to elicit a confession, some states like Illinois and Oregon are considering legislation to limit what investigators can and cannot tell to a suspect who is a minor. New York is considering a similar bill that would bar investigators from lying to any suspect – period. Remember, it is always your right to remain silent, and your right to obtain a lawyer.
